If USC is stripped of 2004 title, should Auburn get another look?
Auburn’s undefeated team of 2004 has been back in the news lately because of speculation, most of it light-hearted, that if USC has its BCS title of that year stripped for NCAA rules violations, perhaps the Tigers could get another shot at the ring almost six years after the fact. Maybe the Associated Press, wrote Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News, could take another vote to strip USC of the trophy and just give it to Auburn.
http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2010/05/scarbinsky_if_elected_auburn_s.html
Fun to think about but it’s not going to happen. But the mental exercise reminded me how significant that undefeated Auburn team was and how much happened after the Tigers got left out of the Big Game.
It was January, 2005, and I remember standing in the press box about an hour from kickoff for the BCS championship game between USC and Oklahoma in South Florida. Suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder: It is Tommy Tuberville, the head coach at Auburn. His team had just beaten Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl 16-13 to finish 13-0.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Just trolling for votes,” said Tuberville. He was joking. At least I think he was.
That Auburn team (Tuberville also joked that Auburn would be named national champs by Golf Digest) remains a sore point to this day in the SEC. It changed a lot of history.
Tuberville made a conscious decision to take the high road but privately he was convinced that his Tigers, who featured running backs Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown, could go toe-to-toe with USC, which drubbed Oklahoma 55-19.
“We certainly would not have been intimidated,” Tuberville would tell me later. “We would have given them a pretty good shot.”
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, the former judge, was publicly disappointed and privately pretty ticked off to the point where he, with support from ACC commissioner John Swofford, eventually went before his fellow BCS commissioners and put a proposal for a “Plus-One” model on the table. A “Plus-One” was a fancy name for what would have been a four-team playoff instead of the current two-team playoff that is the BCS.
Slive was determined that he needed to do something because, in his mind, an undefeated SEC champion should not be denied an opportunity to play for it all. Urban Meyer’s defeated Utah team of 2004 felt the same way, I’m sure.
The “Plus-One” model was discussed during those BCS meetings I attended in South Florida but no action was taken. The majority of the commissioners wanted to stick with the status quo, which is what we will have until the current contract expires after the games of January, 2014.
A lot has happened since 2004. The SEC has now won four straight BCS national championships and, in the process, has convinced a lot of the voters of the strength of its league. The streak started with Florida (2006) and LSU (2007) simply overwhelming Ohio State in two straight BCS title games. In 2008 and 2009 Florida and Alabama defeated high-scoring Big 12 champs in Oklahoma and Texas.
This four-year streak has changed everything from the SEC perspective. The league office now feels that the SEC has proven its strength to the point where it is highly unlikely—almost impossible—that an undefeated SEC champion would be left out of the BCS title game.
In short, I’m not hearing anything these days about a “Plus-One” model from my friends at the SEC.
“I think with our performance on the field the SEC has positioned itself very well,” Slive told me not long ago.
So I’ll put it two questions to you this morning:
1. Regardless of what conference you pull for, do you see an undefeated SEC champion getting left out of BCS title game again?
2. If USC is stripped of its 2004 by the BCS, what should come of it? Should it remain vacated or should Auburn, which finished No. 2 in the final AP and coaches polls, get some kind of consideration?
The floor is yours.
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417 comments Add your comment
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
2:53 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:50 pm
Why start at 2001 pat? Is that when it gets convenient for you?
.
——————————————
2001? what the hell are you talking about 2001? I posted all time stats.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
2:53 pm
Dan’s math
Miami has 5 NT
Florida has 3 NT
Dan’s answer: Miami has 66% more national titles than Florida. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!
Dan, I hope you don’t have kids because ma’am, those kids are gonna have a hard time when it comes to dealing with money.
“Mommy, the mean man didn’t give me my 100% change back when I handed him a $5 bill for a $300 Gucci purse.” WHHHAAAAAAAAAA
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:53 pm
You don’t divide 5 by 3 idiot. UF has three championships (but no unbeaten seasons). Miami has 5. 5 minus 3 is 2. 2 divided by three is 66%. Does that help???
Otto
May 26th, 2010
2:53 pm
Scared??? well you certainly dodged the question.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
“i’m sooooo scared punt bama punt”
I’d be more afraid if I were your bank account. You have the math skills of someone without a GED.
Beast from the East
May 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
Dan,
I hate to pile on but if you are saying the SEC isn’t the premier conference over the past 10-20 years, then which conference is better?
Simple question that should have a simple answer.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
“UF has three championships (but no unbeaten seasons). Miami has 5. 5 minus 3 is 2. 2 divided by three is 66%. Does that help???”
LOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dan=RETARDED
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
Not for NFL players, you didn’t.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
2:55 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:53 pm
You don’t divide 5 by 3 idiot. UF has three championships (but no unbeaten seasons). Miami has 5. 5 minus 3 is 2. 2 divided by three is 66%. Does that help???
========================================
.
LOL OMG I take back what I said about him being a GT fan…no one from GT is this stupid
JUST MELLER
May 26th, 2010
2:55 pm
Dan = living breathing blueprint on how to build an idiot
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:56 pm
I have said before, Beast From the East, I have no idea. I only know who the best teams are. It is extremely subjective to say that 4th place Team A in the ACC or Big 10 is better or worse than Team B from the SEC.
I also don’t understand why SEC fans are so zealous on this point.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
2:57 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
Not for NFL players, you didn’t.
========================================
dude are you high?…I SAID CURRENTLY PLAYING… nothing about 2001. Hines Ward was drafted in the 1980’s and he is CURRENTLY PLAYING. What an imbecile
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
2:57 pm
oops 1990s
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
2:57 pm
pat sulley
“LOL OMG I take back what I said about him being a GT fan…no one from GT is this stupid”
Oh man, that is too funny. I am SOOOOOOOO glad Dan is not from the SEC. I’m guessing Dan is a Georgia Southern drop out.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
2:59 pm
Dont insult Ga Southern that way
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
2:59 pm
“I have said before, Beast From the East, I have no idea. ”
BINGO! Dan has no idea about anything!!!!!!!
“I also don’t understand why SEC fans are so zealous on this point.”
I don’t understand how you passed 3rd grade math…….
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:00 pm
“Dont insult Ga Southern that way”
You’re right, my bad. GA Southern is Harvard compared to any school Dan could get in.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:00 pm
Ok pat, you’re a moron who doesn’t even know what you’ve written. Go check your 2:48 post.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:01 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
2:56 pm
I have said before, Beast From the East, I have no idea. I only know who the best teams are. It is extremely subjective to say that 4th place Team A in the ACC or Big 10 is better or worse than Team B from the SEC.
I also don’t understand why SEC fans are so zealous on this point.
==========================
Here I will help you.
.
fourth place team A (UGA) from one conference beat first place team A (GT at their home) from another conference.
.
Does that help?
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:02 pm
“Ok pat, you’re a moron who doesn’t even know what you’ve written.”
Priceless. A gal who can’t add calls someone else a moron…….
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:02 pm
punt and pat, you have the collective IQ of a chipmunk. The fact that neither of you can seem to understand how 5 is 66% more than 3 blows my mind.
5IML
May 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
It appears the Grammar and Arithmetic Nazis (pat and punt) have hijacked the blog.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
LOL at 2:48 …that was ONE PART of the whole…..so out of 6 categories I said 1 was from 2001 and you are bothered by it….what about the other overwhelming 5 from alltime? Nothing convenient about that.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
“you have the collective IQ of a chipmunk.”
And we’re still 100% smarter than you are, ma’am.
“The fact that neither of you can seem to understand how 5 is 66% more than 3 blows my mind.”
LOL!!!!!!!! Ma’am, you are embarrassing yourself beyond belief.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
Yeah, except that Team A (UGA) lost to team B (Tennesse) by like 300 points. Team B (Tennessee) lost to Team C (VA Tech) by like 900 points. Team C (VA Tech) lost to Team D (GA Tech). Team D (GA Tech) lost to Team A (UGA).
Go ahead and try to make sense of that.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
3 of 5 is 60%
.
not 66%
.
moron
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
“It appears the Grammar and Arithmetic Nazis (pat and punt) have hijacked the blog.”
Ok 5MM schlong, tell us all how one arrives at 66% from Dan’s math….
Oh, and calling someone a Nazi is pathetic.
5IML
May 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
Either pat IS punt or he’s punt’s lackey.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
2 of 3 is 66%, pat. Sheesh.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
“Yeah, except that Team A (UGA) lost to team B (Tennesse) by like 300 points. Team B (Tennessee) lost to Team C (VA Tech) by like 900 points. Team C (VA Tech) lost to Team D (GA Tech). Team D (GA Tech) lost to Team A (UGA).”
Everyone, this is what happens when your kid is raised by Paris Hilton.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
Yeah, except that Team A (UGA) lost to team B (Tennesse) by like 300 points. Team B (Tennessee) lost to Team C (VA Tech) by like 900 points. Team C (VA Tech) lost to Team D (GA Tech). Team D (GA Tech) lost to Team A (UGA).
Go ahead and try to make sense of that.
=====================
you said fourth place team from one conference not better than first place team from another conference…beating someone head to head is pretty damning evidence
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:07 pm
“Either pat IS punt or he’s punt’s lackey.”
I guess you’re Dan.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:07 pm
I’m thinking pat is punt 5IML.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:07 pm
“2 of 3 is 66%, pat. Sheesh.”
Colossal fail.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
2 of 3 is 66%, pat. Sheesh.
………………………………………………
Never said it was not.
.
but 3 of 5 is 60% not 66%
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
“I’m thinking pat is punt 5IML.”
I’m thinking Dan is a retarded third grader who skipped his coloring book class.
HugoStiglitz
May 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
Are you guys really that dumb? Its very basic elementary statistics. To find the percentage increase from one number to another you divide the increase by the original number and multiply by 100. From 3 to 5 is an increase of 2. 2 / 3 (original number) * 100 = 66%. Dan is specifically same how many more in terms of percentage. That wouldnt be calculated dividing 3 by 5.
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:07 pm
I’m thinking pat is punt 5IML.
=================================
I think Dan is 5IML
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:11 pm
HugoStiglitz
May 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
Are you guys really that dumb? Its very basic elementary statistics. To find the percentage increase from one number to another you divide the increase by the original number and multiply by 100. From 3 to 5 is an increase of 2. 2 / 3 (original number) * 100 = 66%. Dan is specifically same how many more in terms of percentage. That wouldnt be calculated dividing 3 by 5.
===========================
Not what Dan said.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:11 pm
Right. UF has 60% as many championships as Miami. Miami has 66% more. Make sense now?
kgator79
May 26th, 2010
3:11 pm
Dan….
Who said it wasnt about nationnal championships? My point was, I could care less how many they have, especially when their last one is nearly 10 years ago and the other 4 are 20 plus years ago. That does nothing for the current state of the programs and as I said, Miami is sinking. Their athletic program is bankrupt, no booster money, no home stadium. And their recruiting is falling behind Florida and FSU big time. Not to mention South Florida now stealing some of their recruits. They were able to rebound in the past because they were the only D1 football school south of orlando and load up on those recruits. Not the case any more. Thats what I mean by I could care less what % of titles Miami has over Florida. The present and future success with Florida is far brighter than Miami’s.
gdawginkalamazoo
May 26th, 2010
3:12 pm
And 100% of Dan and Pat’s argument will have nothing to do with the upcoming season.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
And that’s what I’ve said the whole time, punt/pat.
???????????????????????????????
May 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
“Right. UF has 60% as many championships as Miami. Miami has 66% more. Make sense now?”
No it doesn’t make sense, Dan.
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
Agreed, kalamazoo.
punt bama punt
May 26th, 2010
3:14 pm
“And that’s what I’ve said the whole time, punt/pat”
No it’s not, Dan. You got caught in a colossal meltdown and you’re now trying to dig yourself out of another hole.
Beast from the East
May 26th, 2010
3:15 pm
Let’s just leave it at this…..THE SEC RULES!!!!!!!!!!
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:15 pm
kgator, Miami has players. They’ve been very poorly coached though (think UF 2004).
pat sulley
May 26th, 2010
3:16 pm
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
And that’s what I’ve said the whole time, punt/pat.
==================================
all I saw was you saying 2-3 is 66%…I said “i never said it wasnt”
.
I said 3of-5 is 60%
.
I came in after you made yourself clear on what Hugo said
Dan
May 26th, 2010
3:16 pm
Talk to yourself punt. You’re a retard.